Stephen Wrathall's Parents

It's possible to guess the names of Stephen Wrathall's ancestors using the English custom of naming children after close relatives. The following is an excerpt from "In Search of Your Roots" by Angus Baxter (McMillan, 1978) on 19th-century naming conventions:
An usual, but not absolute, pattern of naming sons and daughters prevailed in the British Isles from 1700 -1875, ie:
  1. The first son was named after the father's father
  2. The second son after the mother's father
  3. The third son after the father
  4. The fourth son after the father's eldest brother
  1. The first daughter after the mother's mother
  2. The second daughter after the father's mother
  3. The third daughter after the mother
  4. The fourth daughter after the mother's eldest sister
The Wrathalls have always switched this order around quite a bit, but they still named the children after ancestors.

According to Trevor Bramley's records , Stephen was born around 1779. The children's data were probably derived from the Rifleman ship's list alluded to in Roy Wrathall's website.

Husband: Stephen WRATHALL Birth: abt 1779
Wife: Mary Ann WALKER Birth: abt 1792
  1. William (1810?)
  2. Ann (1814)
  3. Stephen (20 Sep 1816)
  4. Charlotte (1 Jan 1818)
  5. Charles (1819?)
  6. John (1820)
  7. Susan (1822?)
  8. Henry (1824)
  9. Lupton (1828)
  10. Richard (1830)
  11. Mary Ann (1831?)
If Stephen had adhered to the above naming order, Stephen's father would have been William, his mother Susan or Charlotte, his father's eldest brother John or Henry, and his grandfather might have been Lupton Wrathall. However, we don't have a record of any William Wrathall's marriage to anyone named Susan or Charlotte in the Linton parish records, but this IGI Individual Record for WILLIAM WRATHAL lists the marriage of WILLIAM WRATHAL and SUSANNAH RHOYDS in Keighley (1779). At present (Aug. 2008), we have no data on this William Wrathal's parents, nor any evidence of any children, nor any other will or parish record to connect William and Susannah with Stephen Wrathall of Tasmania, formerly of London. There is also an IGI Individual Record listing Stephen's parents as William Wrathall and Susanna, but this listing has no source or contact information.

In the will of William Wrathall of Burnsall (1747 - 1827), there's no mention of William's spouse or children, implying William was unmarried and had no children, but this does not preclude the possibility that William was married to Susannah Rhoyds at some time. However, William's brother Lupton was named in said will as the father of William Wrathall of London (1785 - 1841), whose brother was named as Stephen Wrathall of London, and that is the only known reference (as of Aug. 2008) in any official document to any father of any Stephen Wrathall of London for the time period in question.

For more information, see The Family of William Wrathall (1785 - 1841) and Descendants of Lupton Wrathall of Burnsall (1716 - 1790) . At present (Aug. 2008), the evidence suggests that Stephen's grandfather was Lupton Wrathall of Burnsall, and that Stephen's parents were Lupton Wrathall of Smithfield, London (1757 - 1821) and Lupton's wife Jane (1753 - 1808).